Drama
Drama movie reviews
Bully Review
Bully center’s around the lives of five victimized children and their families over the course of a year. The director, Lee Hirsch, does a powerful job of portraying the victims daily torment and humiliation. We also get a glimpse of the administrators’ struggles, as they try to resolve this horrendous problem facing millions of kids today. Bully is a heart-wrenching documentary that will spark some great parent child conversations.
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 30, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language:Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
See a clip of my review here, along with The Lucky One, and Touchback!
Talking Points:
As a mom of three this was a very difficult film to see. Two of the families interviewed were those whose children had committed suicide, because they were bullied. We also saw a young girl who was ostracized for being a lesbian; we saw a nice quiet boy who was physically abused…poked, hit and choked. We even met a girl who was so frustrated from being bullied she responded by bringing a loaded gun to school.
It was interesting that many of the victim’s parents were shocked to discover how badly their kids were bullied. Some comments we heard from the bullies were; “I’ll break your Adam’s apple, which will kill you,” “I will f–ing end you and shove a broomstick up your a–.”
A very upsetting scene was seeing a suicide victim’s parents attending their son’s funeral. We eventually learned that these parents set up an anti-bullying organization.
The film was initially rated R. I read that the director said, ” I made Bully for kids to see-the bullies as well as the bullied. To capture the stark reality of bullying, we had to capture the way kids act and speak in their everyday lives-and the fact is that kids use profanity.” They eventually reduced the number of swear words to secure a PG-13 rating, which would hopefully attract more kids and their parents.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a lesbian couple holding hands and hugging.
Violent Content: Moderate
- We saw kids being physically abused; poked, hit and even choked.
- We also saw the mental abuse which the kids faced; as they were continuously being ridiculed and humiliated.
Crude and Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word was said several times, we also heard “a–,” “b–ch,” and “n-gger.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Bully was not a fun entertaining movie, however bullying is a serious issue facing millions of kids today. The film will hopefully spark some awareness towards the problem, and is a great vehicle for parent/child discussions. However, parents need to be aware of the profanity laced throughout the film. Depending on the kid, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.
The Blind Side Review
The Blind Side is an inspirational, heartwarming true story based on the life of Michael Oher. Michael was a homeless African American boy from a broken home, who was picked up off the streets by Leigh Anne Tuohy(Sandra Bulock) and her family, and then taken to their home. The Tuohy’s helped Michael pursue his potential, he is now a lineman in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: March 23, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
I think it’s good for young viewers to see how hard Michael worked to succeed. Michael came from the Nashville projects, he was admitted to Wingate Christian school for his athletic potential. Most of the students there were white, they came from educated and well-to-do families. Even though Michael was rescued from his awful environment in the projects, he then had new challenges to overcome. With his hard work, and the help of his tutor and adopted family, he succeeded to become an All-American offensive left tackle.
This is a movie about helping others, which is great for kids to view. Leigh Anne initially takes Michael in for a temporary place to stay, and he gradually becomes part of the family. When a friend of Leigh Anne’s tells her how wonderful it is that she’s changing this boy’s life, Leigh Anne replies, “He’s changing mine.” So often we find that when we help others, we tend to get more satisfaction then the people we’re helping.
The Touhy children are great kids, very welcoming to their house guest, eventually their adoptive brother. S.J. Touhy(the son) develops a strong friendship with Michael, Collins(the daughter) takes more time to warm up to him, but eventually does.
I read that Michael Oher has not yet seen the movie. His adoptive mother said, “When Michael is getting prepared to play a football game, the movie is not the foremost thing on his mind.”
The actors were terrific! Sandra Bullock was amazing, and the actor who played the little boy were great! Kids will like him, my son thought he was the coolest.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Implied that Leigh Anne and Sean have sex.
- Sexual conversations, but nothing too much.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There is some violence. When Michael went back to the projects to look for his biological mother, some of the guys were making crude comments about Leigh Anne and her daughter. Michael defends them, and gets into a fight with one of the guys in the projects. This is a disturbing scene, especially for younger kids. My 12 year old son said he didn’t like that scene, but they had to show it.
- Michael and S.J(the son) get into a car accident, this scene shows a lot of blood, which may also be disturbing to young viewers.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- Swearing throughout the movie.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Michael’s mom has a drug addiction.
- Leigh Anne drinks wine in the film.
Overall this is a feel good sports drama that the whole family will enjoy. However, it is PG13 due to some violence and disturbing scenes. I would recommend this for kids ages 9 and up. Parents will love it too. I give it five buckets.
Oblivion-Teen Movie Review
Earth was destroyed by an alien race, and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is the caretaker. However things get complicated when an unexpected traveler arrives, which causes Jack not only to question his mission, but also himself. Oblivion is a sci/fi futuristic film, one that mature teenagers will most likely enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 19, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The cast of the film were wonderful and captivating! With Tom Cruise as Jack Harper and Olga Kurylenko (whom I wasn’t familiar with) as Jack’s wife; both interesting characters. Morgan Freeman also starred in the movie, another intriguing character.
For the most part, the film was appropriate, however there was a lot of violence, however, the battles were mostly with Tom Cruise and mechanical drones.
Teenagers will most likely enjoy the film, though it was a little slow and confusing in parts; which may not appeal to tweens and younger kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a naked woman, from the back side only.
- It’s implied that Jack and two different women were sexually involved.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were gun shots and explosions throughout the film, however it mostly involved Jack and drones.
- A character was shot in the stomach, and her shirt was covered with blood.
- We saw a gun pointed at a character’s head.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was said once. We also heard, “sh-t,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We saw a character smoking a cigar.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
- Teenagers that like futuristic sci/fi movies will most likely enjoy this film. I interviewed five high school students from a Charter Academy. They said the film was, “awesome.”
Overall this is an appropriate film for teenagers; 14 and up. Parents need to be aware of the violent content and some profane language.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Teen Movie Review
One thousand three hundred and eighty- five more days. That’s how many days of school that high school freshman, Charlie (Logan Lerman) had until he graduated; and he was counting down the days. Charlie had been through some rough times before his freshman year. His best friend had committed suicide, so going off to high school was a scary, lonely venture. However, when Charlie met Patrick and his stepsister, Sam (Emma Watson), things began to change. Though Sam and Patrick were both seniors, they liked Charlie, they introduced him to their friends and they even took him to parties. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the best selling novel, is a story about the ups and downs of growing up, and the importance of friendships along the way.
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Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: October 12, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 16+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will Kids Like It? Yes (Mature teens)
Talking Points:
Initially Charlie was dreading his freshman year, however things began to change when he met some new friends. His friends distracted him from his dark past. The film highlighted the value of friendships.
Charlie may have had some emotional problems, though he was a very devoted friend and brother.
Charlie and his English teacher, Mr. Andersen (Paul Rudd) had a wonderful relationship. Mr. Andersen was a positive influence in Charlie’s life; the movie also highlighted the importance of a great teacher and how that can positively effect a student.
Drugs, drinking and casual sex were apart of these teenager’s lives; it was accepted and not a big deal….but where were the parents???
Sexual Content: Excessive
- We saw couples kissing and fondling each other at high school parties.
- It was implied that most of the teens were having sex. The movie portrayed the attitude that casual sex was not a big deal, it was apart of high school.
- We saw two male characters kissing each other in a bedroom.
- We saw Charlie touch a girls chest; though she was fully clothed.
- The teenagers frequented the movie, Rocky Horror Picture Show; they dressed up as character’s in the movie and danced around the theater. That was very strange.
- We see flashbacks of a young Charlie with his adult aunt. His aunt rubs his leg, and Charlie remembers how she once molested him. This may be disturbing to some teenagers.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- Two boys had a fist fight in the high school cafeteria; we saw one boy punching and beating up another boy.
- We saw a teenage boy viciously slap his girlfriend.
- In one scene, it seemed as though Charlie was going to hurt himself with a knife. That was disturbing.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once. We heard “sh–,” “h—,” “a–,” and “b–ch,” a couple of times each. We also heard “f-ggot,” and “jack-off.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- Teens drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes at parties. Charlie got stoned on hash brownies, and also had LSD.
- Drinking and drugs were at all their high school parties…not sure where the parents were!
Will Kids Like It? Yes (Mature teens)
Perks of Being a Wallflower dealt with difficult teenage issues and had a mature subject matter. Some teens may find the film depressing, while mature teenagers may find the movie very interesting. Depending on the teenager, I recommend this for kids ages 16 and up. Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content and drug and alcohol content.
My Sister’s Keeper Review
“My Sister’s Keeper” is about a family with 2 kids. The daughter is diagnosed with leukemia as a young child and the family is desperate to save her life. When they can’t find a compatible bone marrow donor for their daughter, they go to drastic measures, and the parents conceive another daughter, who is genetically engineered to be the perfect match. Later, as a 7 year old, Anna(the younger child) realizes that she was brought into the world for the sole purpose of saving her sister’s life, and she decides to sue her parents to get out of the procedures that had dominated her life. The decisions that the parents made to save their ill child, raises moral and ethical conflicts that could destroy the whole family.
Rating: Two out of five buckets
Release Date: November 17, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking points:
Though the family faced many trials, they still had family meals, laughed and played together.
Parents in the audience will relate to the unconditional love that Kate’s parents portray, while trying to save their daughters life.
Kate’s mom’s(Cameron Diaz) whole life is consumed with trying to save her ill child. She will do anything to save her daughters life, though she neglects her 2 other kids and husband.
It’s not a feel good movie, my daughter and I left feeling depressed.
I interviewed many teenage girls who thought that the movie was okay. That’s exactly how my daughter and I felt. The book was much better!
Sexual Content: Mild
- In the movie Kate implies that she and her boyfriend had sex. Kate said to her mom “we did it.”
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- The film is very disturbing when Kate vomits blood, and when her nose bleed profusely in many scenes. At the end of the movie she’s really sick, her face and body are covered with bruises.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- The f-word is used once ,and about five s-words. The d-word, h-word and
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters drink wine and beer. It’s mentioned that someone was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.
Overall it’s a very heart-wrenching dramatic movie that will make you laugh and cry.
The movie is suitable for girls, 13 and up, who would be interested in the movie’s mature subject matter.